A Battle of Morality in Alabama: How Roy Moore Might Win the Senate Race

As of December 1, 2017, Republican candidate Roy Moore is, once again, up in the polls in the Alabama Senate race over Democratic candidate Doug Jones. Yet, many are wondering how this is possible as it was only a little over three weeks ago that Moore was accused of sexually assaulting two Alabama women when they were teenagers over thirty years ago. Adding to the case was that the women seemed credible as their accounts were specific and Moore allegedly had a reputation around town for bothering teenage girls at the local mall. When all is added up, it begs the question: how is Roy Moore still even in the race, let alone projected to win Alabama’s open Senate seat?

Alabama is a very red state and electing a Democrat to the Senate will is unlikely, even with the allegations against Moore. In fact, the residents of the state have not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1990 and the state has gone red in the past ten presidential elections. More specifically, the majority of the citizens in the state are against abortion. A study conducted by Pew Research Center found that58% of the adult population believes that it should be illegal in all/most cases. This does not bode well for the Democratic candidate, Doug Jones, who is pro-choice. Now, the race has turned into a debate between the morality of sexual assault and the morality of abortion. Some have predicted that abortion is going to decide the race rather than sexual assault. According to the citizens of Alabama, if the election was today they would be voting for the alleged sexual predator.

Two months ago, Moore won the Republican primary by defeating establishment-backed Luther Strange in a shocking upset. Strange was appointed to the Alabama Senate seat when Jeff Sessions vacated it to become the Attorney General of the United States. Strange was the GOP establishment’s choice, as he had support from President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. However, that did not seem to matter as Moore rolled to a victory by collecting 55% of the vote. Now, even with the GOP establishment calling for Moore to step down amid the allegations, President Trump has backed the Senate candidate. It has seemed to work out quite well for Moore as he has gained 7 points in the latest polls conducted by JMC Analytics and now holds a 5 point lead over his Democratic opponent.

In addition, the fact that the sexual allegations surrounding both Hollywood celebrities and even several members of Congress have taken over the media has definitely helped Moore. For one, it has taken the media coverage away from him and in addition, it has actually put him in a better light with Republican voters as leaders of the Democratic party have had trouble denouncing their party members accused of sexual assault such as Senator Al Franken and Representative John Conyers. Trump knows how to win and with his backing, Roy Moore just might be able to pull this thing off.

3 weeks ago, it seemed as if Roy Moore’s bid for the United States Senate was all but gone. However, with backing from President Trump, a weak opponent, a very conservative state and other members of Congress being accused of sexual assault, it looks as if Republican candidate Roy Moore just might have what it takes to pull off a victory for a seat in the United States Senate.